Calling all Linux Mint fans: There's a new online store to check out

The month of October may have been more or less dominated by Ubuntu Linux for those of us anticipating its recent "Quantal Quetzal" release, but this week the Linux Mint project made an intriguing announcement of its own.

Thanks to a new partnership with ThinkPenguin, several PCs are now available with Mint preloaded.

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The month of October may have been more or less dominated by Ubuntu Linux for those of us anticipating its recent "Quantal Quetzal" release, but this week the Linux Mint project made an intriguing announcement of its own.

Specifically, the Linux Mint project on Tuesday announced that it now has an online store complete with several PCs offering Linux Mint preloaded.

"In partnership with CompuLab, ThinkPenguin, OSDisc, and HELLOTUX, we are proud to announce a new section on our website: The Linux Mint Store," wrote Linux Mint founder and project leader Clement Lefebvre in the official announcement.

'Income for the distribution'

The Linux Mint project does not produce, sell, or ship anything other than software, Lefebvre explained.

Rather, "thanks to a network of strong and reliable partners we are now able to provide Linux Mint products to the community while creating another source of income for the distribution," he wrote.

Items in the Linux Mint store link to partner websites, where purchases can be made. Examples of products currently for sale include the mintBox, which I covered earlier this year, along with desktop and notebook computers from ThinkPenguin as well as Live DVDs and USB sticks, apparel, stickers, and badges.

A portion of all sales is donated to the Linux Mint project, including 10 percent of the price of all computers bought through the Linux Mint Store.

The preloaded phenomenon

There seems to be no end in sight to the devices increasingly sold with Linux preloaded, so it's particularly exciting to see these new Mint machines from ThinkPenguin join the list.

The new desktop devices sold through the Linux Mint Store are priced starting at $249, while notebook PCs begin at $499.

Add these to a growing line of competitors from Asus, System76, Dell, and others, and it's starting to look like an embarrassment of riches for Linux fans.